- At least one tiger is unaccounted for at the Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain
- Conflicting reports suggest another is also on the loose
- A tornado struck the area at around 7am Sunday
At least one tiger has escaped its enclosure from a Georgia zoo after a tornado struck the area early Sunday morning.
The Troup County Sheriff’s Office announced Sunday morning that at least one tiger is ‘unaccounted for’ at the Pine Mountain Wild Animal Safari following the tornado, which touched down in Troup County at around 7am, and apparently damaged the tiger’s cage.
Conflicting reports suggest a second tiger is also on the loose, though that has not been confirmed.
The Wild Animal Safari is now closed to the public, it announced on Facebook, as residents in the town of 1,500 people are urged to stay indoors.
In a follow-up post, officials at the zoo wrote: ‘Hey guys, we were impacted by the tornado last light.
‘We have sustained damage at the park and will not be open today. We are working diligently to keep our team and animals safe and will update with more news as it is available.’
According to the Wild Animal Safari’s website, ‘there are no cages — the animals roam freely and may even approach your group’ on the drive-thru safari.
It also claims that the 3.5-mile trail is a good way of ‘meeting nature’s animal friends’.
‘Travel down our 3.5-mile trail and see many different animals along the way,’ it says.
‘Some of them may even get close to meet you and your family!
‘From the comfort of your vehicle, you and your group can experience the thrill of the safari.’
Authorities with the Troup County Sheriff’s Office said deputies are now at the scene of the safari hoping to track down the missing tiger.
DailyMail.com has also reached out to the safari for more information about the missing tiger.
The park previously made headlines last year after a viral video showed the wild animals hungrily approaching a couple in their car.
In the video, filmed on March 29, 2022, Morgan Mosley, 28, can be heard shouting in fear as the animals get close.
When a small group of zebra come up to the car, she exclaims: ‘Oh s**t’ and hurriedly throws food outside so they don’t come any closer.
A deer then pops its head in through the window, promoting her to yell: ‘They look kind of crazy a little bit, look at his eyes!’
When an inquisitive zebra comes close, she urges her husband Rex, who is a math teacher, to drive away from the ‘hungry as f**k animal’.
A donkey then walks up, at which point Morgan warns her husband: ‘They got long faces, they can get in the car.’
Megan, who also works at a school, is left speechless when the donkey’s lip begins quivering, and laughs when she looks over to see Rex imitating it.
She is equally reluctant when an ostrich comes near, saying ‘hell no’ and begging him to drive away.
Strong storms across Georgia spawned at least the one tornado in Troup County early Sunday morning, where authorities are reporting downed trees, damaged homes and power outages.
According to PowerOutage.us, which monitors reports of power outages across the country, over 13,000 homes and businesses remained did not have electricity as of 9.30am when another storm moved into the area.
Heavy rain, strong winds and frequent lightning are being reported throughout the area as crews work to rescue those stuck inside.
A tornado warning remains in effect for several counties, while a flash flood warning has been issued for Upson, Meriwether and Pike counties.
Elsewhere in the state, large hail the size of golf balls were reported.
The wild weather came amid a series of storms making its way through the southern United States over the weekend.
At least 11 other tornadoes tracking at 80mph, with one stretching at least one mile wide, were recorded Friday night in Mississippi.
They obliterated neighborhoods, ripped roofs off homes and downed power lines – leaving victims trapped under rubble and thousands without power.
Over 30 million people were under a tornado warning through the evening, and were being warned to brace for the killer storms which brought golf ball-sized hail.
Authorities warned those in its path to brace for a ‘life threatening situation’ and on Saturday morning deployed search-and-rescue teams to several county’s in the region.
As of Sunday morning, at least 26 people were killed in the powerful storms.